Page 64 of The Hidden Guardian

And yet he had to bring backup.

“Come on, please. I know what happened to you, but this won’t bring her back. We can talk about this. I belong to Renall. This is Renall’s turn.”

He licks my cheek. “Renall deserves nothing after what he did to my Cora. No, I deserve you. I’ve waited patiently and obeyed every order. You belong to me.”

“Hey, what about us?” One of the wolves behind him asks. “You told us we all had a chance.”

“This one is mine, bugger off.”

“I belong to Renall,” I growl.

“Then why hasn’t he mated you yet? I knew the moment I smelled you in the hall he still hadn’t done it yet. Renall has lost his touch. If I were him, I would have mounted you as soon as I saw you and claimed you as mine.”

“You make me sick,” I spit on his face.

He licks it off his cheek and groans before leaning into my ear. “You will learn to love it, or you will hate me for eternity. Either way, I will be making you mine.”

“Renall will never let that happen,” I scream. Stalling because maybe if I talk about him enough, he’ll show up.

“Let him come,” he retorts, leaning back to tear open my hoodie.

“Stop!” I cry, fighting against him. “Stop this.” The ground trembles underneath me with my fear. Rocks clinking together dancing along the floor.

“Let him walk in while I mount you before he did.” His hand transforms from man to paw in a strand of moonlight and slashes open the button on my pants.

“No! Please.” Vines whip out from the wall. His claw rips them to shreds. My fear and breathing are all over the place. I can’t focus on a strong emotion to call to any of my affinities. Onai said emotions are unpredictable, and now I understand why. Right now, mine are freezing with my fear.

Just then, another wolf tackles Leland off me.

A blur of growling and fur are all I see as they bash into the wall. The two wolves tussle as I flip around, struggling to rise while keeping my buttonless pants up.

My third attacker finally materializes from the shadows. His dark hair and eyes are familiar. Oh no.

“Trefaun?” I gasp.

He drags me back while the others are still fighting over me. Claws and howls sound behind me as I struggle on all fours under Trefaun’s grip, fighting to flee. A strong hand throws my head against the cave wall. Pain erupts on my forehead. My vision dances and swirls as I crumple to the ground. The ground swims underneath me as I still attempt to get out of his hold.

“Sor-ry, Awe-tum.”

“What would Onai say?”

“Sor-ry,” he repeats like it’s the only English he knows.

He tugs my pants down behind me and raises my butt to his front. I attempt to twist away. But I’m not even sure which way is toward the waterfall anymore.

“No. NO!” My voice is hoarse from screaming as my fingers dig into the Earth trying to climb away. Desperation flares as vines snap out of the wall and wrap around his throat. His hold on me falters and I fall back and flip around just in time to watch his eyes go wide. The vines tighten further, his face turns blue as his mouth opens as if to call someone until his eyes finally retreat into the back of his head.

As his body falls limp onto the floor with my vines still attached. Leland stands in his place. I clumsily crab walk backward, but he catches my leg and climbs on top of me again. His claws are still out as he rips open a slit in my pants from my thigh going upward.

I hiss as blood bubbles. He’s cut my leg, as well as my pants. He freezes, hovering above me. Blood. My blood. The blood of an unmated Guardian. He can smell it. His yellow eyes grow dark as they widen, and a feral snarl emanates in his throat.

I freeze. Every part of my mind and body freezes. If I had anything in my bladder, it would have loosened. If I thought they were feral before, I know nothing. His fangs extend, dripping saliva all over me. His eyes grow even yellower as he grips me.

A growl sounds behind him from the other wolf again. A flash of teeth lock onto Leland’s leg and he snaps around, snarling at the other wolf like a pack of wild dogs attacking.

It’s barely enough that I can get out from under his weight and crawl on my hands and knees, dragging myself forward and away. But then the weight of a body pins my face into the dirt. I can’t even call out for help. No. There’s a growl in my ear as a flash of transformation and hands are on my pants, pulling at them desperately. Darkness dances along my vision again. The hit I took on my head is now throbbing. I lose control of my arms, now unable to struggle.

The ground shakes under my feet, rocks tremble beside my face as the loudest howl echoes around me. The body weight on top of me freezes. I swivel my head to see the shadow of a wolf standing in front of the waterfall, his fur dripping wet. I’m unable to see his coloring or his face against the moonlight, but my heart knows it’s him. He came for me.

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